Luther Adler
Actor

Luther Adler Net Worth

Luther Adler was born on May 04, 1903 in  New York City, New York, United States, is Actor. The actor and Broadway director Luther Adler was born into a Yiddish theatrical dynasty. One of the six children born to Jacob P. and Sara Adler, he made his debut in the world in New York City on May 4, 1903, originally billed as Lutha J. Adler. His full siblings Charles, Jay, Julia, and Stella (the famous acting teacher) as well as his half-siblings Celia and Abram Adler all appeared on Broadway, and his father Jacob, the biggest star of the Yiddish-language theater, was considered one of the great American actors.The Yiddish theater was an important cultural venue in the days when the millions of Jewish immigrants in the greater metropolitan New York area spoke Yiddish as their first (and sometimes only) language. People who trained and appeared in the Yiddish theater were instrumental in the development of the modern American theater and film, and some, including Sidney Lumet, are still active in the 21st century. It was in this cultural milieu that Luther and his siblings got their grounding in acting and the theater.Jacob Adler owned and operated his own stage in New York's Lower East Side, and Luther began appearing in the family productions at the age of five with the Adler production of "Schmendrick." He made his official debut as an actor at the age of 13 at his father's theater and his Broadway debut at the the age of 18. Billed as Lutha Adler, he appeared in the Provincetown Players' production of Theodore Drieser's "The Hand of the Potter" in December 1921 at the Provincetown Playhouse,Adler's first Broadway hit was "Humoresque" in 1923, and he appeared regularly in top productions throughout the '20s, including "Street Scene" (1929) and "Red Dust" (1929). Along with his sister 'Stella Adler", Luther Adler was one of the original members of the Group Theatre acting company, which was formed in 1931 by Harold Clurman (his future brother-in-law), Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg. Others who would make their bones in the company were Elia Kazan, Julius "John" Garfield, Howard Da Silva, Franchot Tone, John Randolph, Will Geer, Clifford Odets and Lee J. Cobb.The Group Theatre was dedicated to bringing realism to the American stage and was instrumental in introducing the Stanislavsky technique into American acting. Most members were leftists if not communists, and the collective wanted to produce plays dealing with social issues. For the Groupe Theatre, Adler appeared in "Night Over Taos" (1932), "Success Story" (1933), "Alien Corn" (1933) and two seminal works of the American stage written by Odets: "Awake and Sing!" (1935) and "Golden Boy" (1937). He played opposite leading ladies Katharine Cornell in "Alien Corn" (1933), his sister Stella in "Gold Eagle Guy "(1934), "Awake and Sing!" and "Paradise Lost" (both 1935), and Frances Farmer in "Golden Boy" (1937).His appearance as the urban ethnic boxer Joe Bonaparte in Odets' "Golden Boy" arguably was his greatest role, but when the film was made in 1939, he was passed over for the improbably cast Wlliam Holden, a white-bread WASP. Although Adler appeared in many motion pictures, his reputation would remain primarily that of a stage actor.Adler became a director on Broadway in 1942, though his first staging, "They Should Have Stayed in Bed", was a flop, lasting but 11 performances. He next directed Ben Hecht's pro-Israel propaganda play "A Flag is Born" in 1946, starring the great Paul Muni, a graduate of the Yiddish theater, and newcomer Marlon Brando, an Irish-American born-Protestant who had been trained by his sister Stella. The play, which raised money for Jewsh refugees from the Holocaust seeking sanctuary in Palestine, was a hit, running for 120 performances. He also directed "Angel Street" (1955) and "A View from the Bridge" (1960). He last appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the long running "Fiddler on the Roof."Adler made his movie debut in 1937 with "Lancer Spy," but he never became a star in that medium. His best roles like "Golden Boy" and "Humoresque" were taken by other actors, including Group Theatre alumnus John Garfield. He had memorable supporting turns in the noir classic "D.O.A." (1950), in Joseph Losey's remake of "M "(1951), in Paul Muni's last film "The Last Angry Man" (1959), in the Holocaust drama "The Man in the Glass Booth" (1974), and as Paul Newman's mobster uncle in "Absence of Malice" (1981). He also worked frequently on television.From 1938 until 1947, Adler was married to the actress Sylvia Sidney. They had one child, a son, Jacob. Luther Adler died in Kutztown, Pennsylvania on December 8, 1984. He was 81 years old.
Luther Adler is a member of Actor

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actor
Birth Day May 04, 1903
Birth Place  New York City, New York, United States
Age 117 YEARS OLD
Died On December 8, 1984(1984-12-08) (aged 81)\nKutztown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Birth Sign Gemini
Occupation Actor, playwright
Years active 1908–1982
Spouse(s) Sylvia Sidney (m. 1938; div. 1946) Julie Roche (m. 1959; d. 1984)
Children 1

💰 Net worth: $100K - $1M

Biography/Timeline

1903

Lutha Adler was born on May 4, 1903 in New York City. He was one of the six children of Russian Jewish actors Sara and Jacob P. Adler. His father was considered to be one of the founders of the Yiddish theatre in America. His siblings also worked in theatre; his sister Stella Adler achieved fame as an Actress and drama Teacher. His brother Jay also achieved some fame as an actor.

1908

Adler's father gave him his first acting job in the Yiddish play, Schmendrick, at the Thalia Theatre in Manhattan in 1908; Adler was then 5 years old. His first Broadway plays were The Hand of the Potter in 1921; Humoresque in 1923; Monkey Talks in 1925; Money Business and We Americans in 1926; John in 1927; Red Rust (or Rust) and Street Scene in 1929.

1931

In 1931 Adler became one of the original members of the Group Theatre (New York), a New York City theatre collective formed by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman, and Lee Strasberg. The founders, as well as the actors in the group, "tended to hold left-wing political views and wanted to produce plays that dealt with important social issues." The collective lasted for ten years, had twenty productions, and served as an inspiration for many actors, Directors, and playwrights who came after it. During those years, the Group's members included Luther, Luther's sister and brother, Stella Adler and Jay Adler, Elia Kazan, John Garfield, Paul Green (playwright), Howard Da Silva, Harry Morgan (billed as Harry Bratsburg), Franchot Tone, John Randolph, Joseph Bromberg, Michael Gordon, Will Geer, Clifford Odets and Lee J. Cobb. Elia Kazan considered Adler to be the best actor working in the company.

1932

In 1932 Adler starred in John Howard Lawson's, Success Story and garnered rave reviews for his performance. In 1933 Adler briefly joined the Katherine Cornell Company, playing opposite Cornell in Alien Corn, but in 1934 he returned to the Group and played alongside his sister Stella in the Gold Eagle Guy. Unfortunately Gold Eagle Guy was not popular with audiences and had a short run. Adler had suspected the play would not succeed, remarking, shortly before it opened, "Boys, I think we're working on a stiff." Adler went on to appear in Group Theatre (New York) productions: Awake and Sing! and Paradise Lost (both 1935), and he performed with Frances Farmer in Golden Boy (1937). He also appeared in Kurt Weill's anti-war musical Johnny Johnson (1936) and originated the role of Captain Joshua in the 1939 Group Theater production of Thunder Rock. "By the late 1930s... the cohesiveness of the group began to crumble. The chronic financial problems and long-simmering disputes about 'the method' began to chip away at their solidarity... and in 1941 the group dissolved."

1937

In 1937 Adler began to appear in films, although they were never his highest priority. His credits included Wake of the Red Witch (1948), House of Strangers (1949), D.O.A. (1950), The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) (appearing as Hitler), M (1951), Voyage of the Damned (1976) and Absence of Malice (1981).

1938

Adler was married to Actress Sylvia Sidney from 1938 until 1946 and was the father of Sidney's only child, her son Jacob, who predeceased her.

1940

By the early 1940s Adler began to direct, but his first production They Should Have Stood in Bed closed after only eleven performances in 1942. His next directorial venture, A Flag is Born, ran for 120 performances in 1946 and featured newcomer Marlon Brando in one of the major roles. In 1965, when Zero Mostel left the Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof during a contract dispute, Adler took over the role of Tevye.

1960

He also acted frequently on television in such programs as the anthology series, Crossroads, General Electric Theater, Kraft Television Theater and Robert Montgomery Presents. He guest-starred in 1960 in the science fiction fantasy series, The Twilight Zone as the poor pawnbroker Arthur Castle, with Vivi Janiss as his wife Edna, in the episode entitled "The Man in the Bottle." in the story line, a genie offers the couple four wishes which do not lead to happiness. He was also cast in episodes of The Untouchables, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, most notably in the series' only three-part episode "'V' for Vashon", The Streets of San Francisco, Naked City and Route 66.

Some Luther Adler images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.